Friday, 16 May 2008

Red Cross: Clean water most urgent for Myanmar

GENEVA - The international Red Cross says a lack of clean water will be the biggest killer in Myanmar in the coming days.International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies says hundreds of thousands of cyclone victims in the Southeast Asian country need clean water urgently or risk falling victim to diseases such as dysentery.

The Geneva-based group says its partner organization in Myanmar currently lacks the logistical and material capacity to distribute water purification units to all those who need it.

The head of IFRC's global operations division made the comments Friday as the group launched a $51 million appeal to fund its aid operation in Myanmar over the coming years.